About Marie de Montferrat, Queen of Jerusalem

Maria of Montferrat, Queen of Jerusalem (1192 – 1212) was the daughter of Conrad of Montferrat and Isabella, Queen of Jerusalem. Her father was murdered on 28 April 1192 in Tyre by the Hashshashin. Her mother married Henry II of Champagne on 5 May, when already noticeably pregnant (The Old French Continuation of William of Tyre and Imad ad-Din al-Isfahani remarked on this). Maria was thus born posthumously.

On her mother's death in 1205, Maria became Queen of Jerusalem, aged thirteen. Her mother's half-brother John of Ibelin, Lord of Beirut, acted as regent for Maria.

On September 14, 1210, Maria married John of Brienne (c. 1150–1237) in Acre in an arranged marriage. Their daughter Yolande of Jerusalem (also known as Isabella) was born in 1212, but Maria died shortly after, probably from puerperal fever. John became regent for his daughter Yolande, now Queen of Jerusalem.

Maria's line died out in 1268, when her great-grandson Conrad III of Jerusalem was executed in Southern Italy. After that, her next half-sister's (Alice of Champagne's) descendants became heirs-general of Queen Isabella of Jerusalem.

Maria of Montferrat, Queen of Jerusalem (1192 – 1212) was the daughter of Conrad of Montferrat

Conrad of Montferrat

Conrad of Montferrat, or Conrad I of Jerusalem was one of the major participants in the Third Crusade. He was the de facto Kings of Jerusalem, by marriage, from 24 November, 1190, but officially elected only in 1192, days before his death....

and Isabella, Queen of Jerusalem

Isabella of Jerusalem

Isabella I of Jerusalem was Kingdom of Jerusalem 1190/1192–1205. She was the daughter of Amalric I of Jerusalem and his second wife Maria Komnene, Queen consort of Jerusalem, half-sister of Baldwin IV of Jerusalem and Sibylla of Jerusalem, aunt of Baldwin V, a grandniece of Byzantine emperor Manuel I Komnenos, who had received the town...

. Her father was murdered on 28 April 1192 in Tyre by the Hashshashin

Hashshashin

The Hashshashin from which the word Assassinations is thought to originate, was the Persian Empire derived designation of the Nizari branch of the Ismailism Shia Islam during the Middle Ages....

. Her mother married Henry II of Champagne

Henry II of Champagne

Henry II of Champagne , was count of Champagne from 1181 to 1197, and Kings of Jerusalem from 1192 to 1197, although he never used the title of king....

on 5 May, when already noticeably pregnant (The Old French Continuation of William of Tyre

William of Tyre

William of Tyre was archbishop of Tyre and a chronicler of the Crusades and the Middle Ages....

remarked on this). On her mother's death in 1205, Maria became Queen of Jerusalem

Kingdom of Jerusalem

The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Christianity kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. It lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, Israel, was destroyed by the Mamluks....

, aged thirteen. Her mother's younger half-brother John of Ibelin, Lord of Beirut

John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut

John of Ibelin , called the Old Vassals of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, was a powerful crusader noble in the 13th century, one of the best known representatives of the influential Ibelin family....

, acted as regent

Regent

A regent, from the Latin regens "reigning", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present or debilitated....

for Maria.

On September 14 1210, Maria married John of Brienne

John of Brienne

John of Brienne was a French nobleman who became King of Jerusalem by marriage, and was later invited to become Latin Empire.He was the second son of Erard II of Brienne, count of Brienne, in Champagne, France, and of Agnes de Montfaucon....

(c. 1150–1237) in Acre in an arranged marriage. Their daughter Yolande of Jerusalem

Yolande of Jerusalem

For Isabella of England, the daughter of Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault, see Isabella de Coucy.Yolande of Brienne , also known as Yolanda or Isabella II of Jerusalem, was a princess of French origin who became Kings of Jerusalem....

(also known as Isabella) was born in 1212, but Maria died shortly after, probably from puerperal fever

Puerperal fever

Puerperal fever , also called childbed fever, can develop into puerperal sepsis, which is a serious form of septicaemia contracted by a woman during or shortly after childbirth, miscarriage or abortion....

. John became regent for his daughter Yolande, now Queen of Jerusalem.

Maria's line died out in 1268, when her great-grandson Conrad III of Jerusalem

Conradin

Conrad , called the Younger or the Boy, but usually known by the diminutive Conradin , was the Duke of Swabia , Kingdom of Jerusalem , and Kingdom of Sicily ....

was executed in Southern Italy. After that, her next half-sister's (Alice of Champagne

Alice of Champagne

Alice of Cyprus was queen consort of Hugh I of Cyprus, and regent of Kingdom of Jerusalem for Conrad IV of Germany from 1243 to 1246.She was the daughter of Isabella of Jerusalem and Henry II of Champagne, Count of Champagne , born Adela or Alice of Champagne, also of Jerusalem....

's) descendants became heirs-general of Queen Isabella of Jerusalem.

Maria of Montferrat

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Maria of Montferrat, Queen of Jerusalem (1192 – 1212) was the daughter of Conrad of Montferrat and Isabella, Queen of Jerusalem. Her father was murdered on 28 April 1192 in Tyre by the Hashshashin. Her mother married Henry II of Champagne on 5 May, when already noticeably pregnant (The Old French Continuation of William of Tyre and Imad ad-Din al-Isfahani remarked on this). Maria was thus born posthumously.

On her mother's death in 1205, Maria became Queen of Jerusalem, aged thirteen. Her mother's half-brother John of Ibelin, Lord of Beirut, acted as regent for Maria.

On September 14, 1210, Maria married John of Brienne (c. 1150–1237) in Acre in an arranged marriage. Their daughter Yolande of Jerusalem (also known as Isabella) was born in 1212, but Maria died shortly after, probably from puerperal fever. John became regent for his daughter Yolande, now Queen of Jerusalem.

Maria's line died out in 1268, when her great-grandson Conrad III of Jerusalem was executed in Southern Italy. After that, her next half-sister's (Alice of Champagne's) descendants became heirs-general of Queen Isabella of Jerusalem.

Maria of Montferrat (or Maria of Jerusalem) (1192–1212) was Queen of Jerusalem, the daughter of Conrad of Montferrat and Isabella, Queen of Jerusalem. She was known in her youth as The Marquise, because of her father's title.

On April 28, 1192, while the rivalry between Guy de Lusignan and Maria's father was about to find a term and Richard I of England was about to finish Third Crusade and return to England, Conrad was assassinated. Her mother remarried in haste on May 5 to Henry II, Count of Champagne, nephew of King Richard and Philip II of France. At the time of the wedding, Isabella was already visibly pregnant with Maria. Maria, the posthumous child was born during the summer of 1192.

Henry II of Champagne died in 1197, from this marriage Maria had gained three half-sisters. Amalric II of Cyprus married Isabella, he became joint ruler of Jerusalem with Isabella. He died on April 1, 1205. Isabella died shortly thereafter and Marie became queen of Jerusalem, at the age of thirteen, while her stepbrother Hugh, from the first marriage of Amalric, became King of Cyprus and married Maria's half-sister, Alice of Champagne. The half-brother of her mother, John of Ibelin, the Old Lord of Beirut, acted as regent on behalf of Maria, wisely and to the satisfaction of the inhabitants of the kingdoms. Failing to conduct operations to reconquer the territories lost in 1187, he maintained the kingdom within its limits, a policy of peace with Al-Adil I, brother of Saladin, who had come to his estate by eliminating the other heirs[2].

In 1209, Maria was seventeen and the regency expired, so the government believed it best for Maria to marry so she could secure her post as queen. The assembly of barons and prelates decided to seek advice from Philip II of France, who offered one of his followers, John of Brienne. However John was not a very rich man. To overcome his lack of fortune and to enable him to fund his sovereign obligations (court and army) King Philip and Pope Innocent III each paid him the sum of 40 000 livres[3].

The marriage was celebrated on September 4, 1210, then the couple were crowned King and Queen of Jerusalem on October 3, 1210 in Tyre Cathedral. John continued the peace policy of John of Ibelin. In 1212, Maria of Montferrat gave birth to a daughter, Isabelle (1212–1228) or Yolande, but died shortly afterwards, probably from puerperal fever. John retained the crown but only as regent on behalf of his daughter who married (in 1225) to Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor.

The lineage of Maria died out in 1268, with the death of her great-grand-grandson Conradin (or Conrad III of Jerusalem). He was executed in southern Italy on the orders of Charles of Anjou, who took the Kingdom of Sicily. After him, the descendants of Maria's younger half-sister (Alice of Champagne) inherit her kingdom.